William Hines (1690-1760)

The Nottoway River from Marl Hill (near the Sussex / Southampton County Border)

William Hines Sr. (1690-1760)

William Hines Sr. was born in Surry County Virginia. There is little documentation prior to William indicating his parents. There is one unrecorded record of a Thomas Haynes patenting land (280 acres) in the area where William lived in the 18th Century. It is believed (supported by secondary documenation) that his wife was named Elizabeth Gross, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Gross, and that they had eleven children:

This Sussex County Plantation called "Montrose" was built sometime in the early 18th Century. This might be William Hines (1690-1760) Plantation, indicated in his will and further described in various deeds transferring ownership to his sons, grandsons, and adjoining Planters as indicated below. The part that would have been Williams is the single story two dormer portion located on this photo taken in April 2010. In Mary A. Stephenson's book Old Homes in Surry & Sussex the basement is described as an English basement including "hand-carved mantels, hand-wrought nails, fine old woodwork, doors and floors that show the high quality of workmanship."

I am 90% certain that Montrose plantation (which dates back to the early to mid 18th Century) and is still standing is William Hines (1690-1760) final plantation. If you feel that I should wait until I am 100% sure on this the answer would be twofold. One: I wish to present these facts so that future generations can see my research without having to start from square one. Two: the metes and bounds references that were common in the 18th century prevent the common researcher with limited tools from determining all the boundaries that exist on any one parcel. There does not appear to many surveys drawn in that area of the county, by the Hines family, or any others that I have searched. Here is how I got to the 90%:

August 8, 1755 - In the Vestry Book of Albemarle Parish, "...pursuant to an Order of the Vestry of Albemarle parish bearing Date the eight day of August 1755 Wee the Subscribers have assembled the Freeholders of the land lying between the Nottoway River & Assamusock Swamp below Robins Branch & Austins Branch to the Southampton County line.....

Included the list of landowners was William Hines...Austins Branch can still be located on current maps (located to the right of the Nottoway River in Sussex County). There is an unidentified body of water to the left and connects to the Assamoosick Swamp. If you look on a current map it appears that these two bodies of water form the top portion of the boundary described in the Albermarle Vestry book above. Montrose is situated on a hill near this body of water which feeds a nearby lake commonly known as Beaver Lake a short distance from Montrose.

Here's the analysis that places William Hines final plantation near (within 100 acres) of this area:

April 21, 1758 - J. Wordsdon sells Joshua Hines 375 acres. When Joshua made his will in 1780 he gave his son Frederick the plantation where he now lives

October 19, 1786 - Howell sells to Milner 165 acres with the boundaries including Frederick Hines, John Edmunds, John Cargill, Robins Branch, and Hartwell Hines. Note that Hartwells land ends where Frederick begins so they have a common boundary.

October 5, 1789 - Edmunds sells to Wyche 362 acres with the boundaries including Austins Branch, Frederick Hines, William Milner, Edmunds Road, Peter's road, Gray Edmunds, Thomas Edmunds, and Thomas Hunt. There is a reference to Ware Neck Mill.

January 7, 1790 - Milner to Caton 165 acres

February 3, 1791 - Wyche to Sever 100 acres with the boundaries of Frederick Hines John Edmunds John Cargill, Robins Branch and Hartwell Hines. This is important because it places William Hines land within 100 acres of Robins Branch which is where Montrose is located. Now the one exclusion to this would be if there was another plantation that is no longer in existence that was within this 100 acre parcel of land. Logically if William owned up to 5000 acres of land he probably did not have another plantation within 100 acres but the possibility remains, hence the 90% accuracy rate.

February 2, 1792 - Frederick Hines sold to Edmund Blunt 375 acres.

August 10, 1796 - W Blunt to N. Land 375 acres (bordered by Edwin Hines, Benjamin Wche, Isaac Sever, Nathaniel Land). This real estate has stayed in the Land family since this time, Montrose is included in the current 500 acre parcel that the Land family now owns.

If you review the common boundaries for the above you will notice that there are not enough references in one parcel to form a conclusion but the sum of the whole clearly compresses William Hines plantation to 100 acres of land which happens to be where Montrose now stands. I am attaching pictures of Montrose and a description found in Old Homes in Surry & Sussex by Mary A. Stephenson.

Thomas (1705/12-1773) - was William and Elizabeth's first child. His Will is found in Sussex County Virginia. He left his wife Elizabeth Barham (1711-c. 1770) 392 acres of land and his son William 392 acres of land. Elizabeth Barham was the daughter of Robert Barham (1679-1760) and Elizabeth Clark (1680-1760) of Southwarke Parish, Surry County. This is probably the same Thomas Hines who appears in the deed from the Nottoway (Cherenoenhaka) Indian Chiefs dated August 6, 1735. There is a similiar deed to Richard Hines dated August 7, 1735 for 385 acres of land in the land records of Isle of Wight County Virginia. Thomas had a son named William (1735-1816) that there is an article in the Baltimore Sun dated December 22, 1907. Colonel William Hines as he was known inherited land from his parents and during his lifetime expanded it, becoming a large landowner. He was Magistrate and High Sheriff for Southampton County for many years. His wife was the daughter of Samuel Blow and Martha Drew Blow. In the Southampton Courthouse Order Book (1778-1884), In July 1779 the Sheriff's salary was 1248 pounds of tobacco. John (1713-1782) was the second child born, of whom more below. He is a direct descendant of the family line researched here.

William Jr. (1714-1784) - his Will is found in Sussex County Virginia. He leaves to his sons, Micager one parcel of land lying on the west side of Simmons Road two hundred and fifty acres, Howell all the lands purchased from John Battin in Nansemond County, Booling the land where I now live and bounded by a line of new marked trees to Simmons Road.

Peter (1717-1783) - his Will is found in the records of Edgecombe County North Carolina. He leaves his son Henry lands bordering on the line of John Ellis, Oarious Cowen, the Tarr River, and the road that leads up from River Road to Gouger Branch, and one-half interest in a Grist and Saw Mill on Town Creek. David (1719-1793) - He was born in Sussex County, sometime after his family settled in Effington County Georgia where his Will is found.

Joshua (1721-1782) - was born in Surry County Virginia and lived there all his life. His Will is found there.

More children of William and Elizabeth included a daughter born (1723), Ann (1725). Richard (1726-1781) - he died in Edgecombe County North Carolina. His will is found in the Archives of Raleigh. Sarah (1727) who married Lazarus Drake about 1746. Elizabeth (1729), all born in old Surry County.

This Prince George county deed is dated February 19, 1717, William Hynes of the county of Southward purchased 100 acres for 3000 pounds of tobacco.

The first court record concerning William Hines Sr. is in the Surry County Orders for 1713-1718 dated July 16, 1718 when John Hamlin was ordered to pay William Hines for attending court for four days in the case of John Hamlin against Ingumrodo Anderson. On February 20th 1723 William Hines acquired 90 acres of land near the Assamoosick Swamp (Land Grant Office in Richmond Virginia, Virginia Land Patents, Book II, page 312). In 1732 he acquired 180 acres (B14, page 495).

Increased conflicts between 1699 and 1705 led to the establishment of boundaries delineating the Cheroenhaka Indian lands. The House of Burgesses established an area defined as a three mile radius forming a circle around the Cheroenhaka Village. The wildlife which the Indians had hunted for food became scarce due to open cultivated fields. Unable to support them, the Cheroenhaka Indians petitioned the House of Burgesses in 1734 to sell the land surrounding the Village. In 1735, John Allen, the surveyor of Isle of Wight County, who possessed a reputation as the best surveyor in Virginia, divided the Cheronenhaka treaty land into tracts to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. 22 tracts which was one-fourth of the circular tract around the village were sold at auction. Also in 1735 the House of Burgesses dismissed the interpreter assigned to the Cheroenhaka, for some of the Indians had learned English while attending one of two Indian schools, the Brafferton at the college of William and Mary and the facility at Fort Christiannna. The House also directed that any buyer of Indian land should pay the chief directly. The deeds were three-part indentures, or contracts, between the chief men (party of the 1st part), their English Trustees (party of the 2nd part), and the new owner (party of the 3rd part).

William Hines

Circle Tract of Land with the Owners names, note William and Richard Hines land located in the the upper left hand corner - this map is undated

The Hines family has in it's possession a deed for the sale of reservation land described above. It indicates that William Hines, was a Cheroenhaka Chief man and Richard Hines purchased the land not to exceed 400 acres for the sum of 10 pounds.

This 2 page document called a 3 part indenture to sell Indian Reservation Land is dated October 27, 1735 and bears the mark of William Hines for land purchased by Richard Hines as identified in the Circle Tract of Land above

On July 16, 1740 William Hines, who is described as a planter, acquired 100 acres on the west side of the Assamoosick Swamp from Francis and Sarah Eppes for 40 pounds (Surry county deed book 3, page 196). In 1747 he deeded this land to his daughter Sarah who was married to Lazarus Drake at the time. In mid 1742 he took a slave boy to one of the churches of Albermarle Parish (quite probably St. Paul's, then located south of Waverly) and caused him to be baptized as "Kitt" by the Reverend William Willie. From Tithable lists, for at least 5 years before his death, William put out a substantial crop of tobacco every year.

William appears to have lived alone in a small house based on the Inventory mentioned in his will. His wife appears to have died several years before. On July 21, 1747, William Hines of Albermarle Parish, Surry County, deeded various tracts of land on the Assamoosick Swamp to his children and grandchildren including: Richard 400 acres, David 400 acres, Peter 400 acres, Sarah 100 acres (as mentined previously), and his grandson 100 acres. In addition to the gifts to his children, William's possessions included a gun, powder horn, shott bag, nineteen hogs, five cows and calves, three cows and yearlings, five "stears", seven head of cattle, saddle and bridle. Included in his furniture was a knife and fork, a frying pan, "3 puter dishes", 4 puter plates, a table, two feather beds, and one trunk. He appeared to be a frugal man.

Two sources are pointing to the exact location of William Hines Sr. rather large (over 3000 acres) plantation. One is his Will dated December 16, 1759 which states he is from Albermarle Parish in Sussex County. At the Rockefeller Library is a copy of the Albermarle Parish Vestry Book 1742-1786 by Virginia Lee Hutcheson Davis and Andrew Wilburn Hogwood. On page 94 it indicated that landowners are present that have land that borders the Assamoosic Swamp, Nottoway River, Austin Branch (of the Nottoway River), and Southampton County line, present at this meeting are William Hines and his sons.

On March 18, 2009 I visited the gravesite of what is most likely the earliest documented descendant of the Hines Family. There are no tombstones, just a vacant piece of land and a large tree. A series of seven documents/books/websites provided information to this roughly 35 ft. x 35 ft. graveyard including graves that are historically significant.

Ground Penetrating Radar Survey of the Poplar Grove Cemetery dated March 2010 by William F. Hanna, Ph.D, Claude E. Petrone, John H. Imlay, and Dale K. Brown

On Thursday and Friday March 18th and 19th, 2010 a team of Archeologists used ground penetrating radar to locate the graveyard known as the Poplar Grove Cemetery per the March 21, 1867 plan (top photo). The corresponding report (bottom photo) appears to indicate a much larger graveyard that most probably the Hines family graveyard of the 18th Century.

1. William Hines Sr. (1690-1760) was born in Surry County (later changed to Sussex County) – This is documented on page 78 of WN Hurley Jr.’s Book “ John William Hines, born 1600 in Londonderry Ireland” and confirmed by several other sources.

William Hines Jr. (1714-1784) was the son on William Hines Sr. (1690-1760) and Elizabeth Gross as referenced on page 161 of “John William Hines, born 1600 in Londonderry Ireland”.

Bolling (several different spellings) Hines (1768-1812) was the son of William Hines Jr. and Rebecca Little Hines as referenced on page 161 of “John William Hines, born 1600 in Londonderry Ireland”.

2. In William Hines Sr. (1690-1760) Will dated December 16, 1759 and recorded in Book A, page 172 in Sussex County Virginia it indicates that he is of “ye parish of Albermarle and County of Sussex”…

3. The Vestry Book of Albermarle Parish by Virginia Lee Hutcheson Davis and Andrew Wilburn Hogwood on page 94 states that pursuant to an Order of Vestry on August 8, 1755 the subscribers of land have assembled the Freeholders of the land lying between Nottoway River and Assamusock Swamp below Robins Branch and Austins Brand down to the Southampton County line including William Hines land. This is important because this places William Hines land which appears to be over 2000 acres mostly in Sussex County over the period of his lifetime identified by various deeds recorded prior to this date.

4. In an article called “The Metes and Bounds in a Circle and a Square” by Martha Wren Briggs and April Cary Pittman there are two maps one indicating the Circle Tract of land parcels of land sold in 1735 by the Nottoway Indians to various settlers including William Hines locating his parcel on the top left hand side of the circle which is situated near the border of current day Southampton and Sussex County on Route 35.

5. On the 31^st Day of December 1790 Bolling (several different spellings) sold 400 acres of land (indicated as his fathers land) to William Hines, sheriff of the County of Southampton. Included in the legal description is the old Nottoway Indian Land bordered on the west side of the Assamoosack Swamp. On page 2 of this deed it indicated that….reserving to the said Bolling Hines and his heirs the graveyard with sufficiency of ground for that purpose only. This deed is located in the Sussex County Courthouse, Deed Book G, pg 509-510.

The above establishes a graveyard located somewhere near the Southampton and Sussex County border that appears to be there in 1790 thirty years after William Hines Sr. (1690-1760) died and six years after William Hines Jr. (1714-1784) died. It is not unreasonable to believe that William Hines Sr. and Jr. Graves and some of their children would be located in this graveyard.

6. On the Southampton County Historical Societies website there is a link to area cemeteries that have been identified. One such link called the “Hines Cemetery” is described as follows:

Located on Highway 35, just this side of the Sussex co. line on the Tyner farm in Southampton Co. VA. Information from John Rollison. Once known as “Poplar Grove” on a plat dated 3/21/1867. There are no markers.

Martha Rochelle Tyler (1820-1867) Daughter of James and Martha Rochelle, married John Tyler Jr., son of President John Tyler.

When worth and talent depart, when those who we dearly loved die, when those who have discharged with honor and fidelity all the duties of life, when more even than that, with a noble self sacrifice, they have labored more for the happiness of others than their own, when God in his wise dispensations of his providence call them from earth to receive the reward of their labors, we not only drop the tears of sorrow to their memory but friendship and affection and a sincere love of merit call upon us to plant a laurel on their grave. It is for that purpose that I take my pen to preserve fresh and green if I can the memory of my dear relative and friend Mrs. Martha Rochelle Tyler, who died in Jerusalem, Southampton County, Virginia on the 11th day of January 1867 at the residence of her mother, in the full hope of heaven, for she died in the faith.

Mrs. Tyler was the only daughter of her parents, James and Martha Rochelle, born in affluence and connected by blood with source of the wealthiest and most respectable families in her county, her childhood and early youth passed happily away, she grew up a most beautiful woman, a faultless form and exquisite grace of movement, eyes dark and lustrous, oval face of faultless mould, cheeks blending the rose and the lily, hair of a sunny golden tinge waving around her neck and shoulders, one of those faces that haunt poets, and painters in their dream of beauty and once seen never forgotten. Where advantage of youth and beauty and fortune united with a sweet temper and winning manner gathered around her a host of friends and lovers as soon as she entered society. At eighteen years of age she married John Tyler, Jr. of James City. She dug for herself new wellsprings of joy in her children, and from this time forth her life became entirely unselfish, and was devoted to the happiness of others. Pecuniary troubles and embarrassments came upon her aged mother, she had been her pride and joy, and she now became her staff and comfort, and supported and cherished her in adversity. She educated her children and lived only to make them happy. I married her eldest daughter, Leticia Christian Tyler, who was a beautiful as her mother, I will not dwell on her memory here for I have written her memoir elsewhere for my and her son, but this I will say, that during our brief union started of happiness such as -- on fall to the lot of man, but the brightest joys of earth die soonest, and my sweet wife died in my arms at eighteen ere she had known either care or sorrow. Mrs. Tyler, of intense and painful sensibilities, lulled and staggered under this blow, and it was only her duties to the living that called her back from the memories of the dead; she adopted my little boy Willie as her own child, and no mother ever nursed and tended more fondly her own first born child, to my son the lost is irreparable, and her death has left a void in the circle of my affection, which can never be filled. Her disposition ere sorrow and affliction pressed heaving on her heart was sunny and cheerful, she was a warm friend, confiding and trusting in her own nature she was slow to believe evil of others and hated only vice and meanness. It has been said that persons of great beauty, those cast in a nobler mold than the mass of their race, have juster and keener perceptions of the good, the true and the beautiful, than others, whether true or not in a general principle it was true in her. Her talents were above mediocrity, she was well read of practical temperament and of most exquisite taste; of soft and winning mannerly, she won the hearts of all who approached her, a and those loved her most who knew her best.

Wm. B. Shands.

William Hines (1735-1816) Magistrate and High Sheriff of Southampton County. During the Revolution he was part owner of may privateers sailing from South Quay on the Blackwater River, and ports in North Carolina. The cellar of his house was said to have contained guns for the patriot troops, which caused Cornwallis to issue an order that the plantation be burned, which fortunately was rescinded. His wife was a daughter of Samuel Blow and Martha Drew Blow.

Martha Blow Hines handwritten obituary by James Henry Rochelle, her grandson in 1867. (Courtesy of Sloan Mason - Slomas7@comcast.net)

Williamsburg July 12, 1806

Agreeable to promise I engage in the pleasing office of writing my beloved Brother although I am very doubtful that this will ever reach you, for I imagine you will have returned to Williamsburg before the mail can convey it to you. We have been very dull here ever since you left us. The Students are nearly all gone and the girls are going off very fast. There is something melancholy in the idea of parting for the last time with so many dear girls to whom I feel myself sincerely attached, but I nevertheless feel great pleasure in the thought of see my friends in Portsmouth. Therefore I hope my dear Cousin will not forget that his Martha still remains in Williamsburg anxiously expecting his return, you will no doubt think me very selfish to wish to put an end to your agreeable <unclear> so soon, in order to promote my own gratification; but as you have at Portsmouth also, objects as dear to you as they are to me that renders me very excusable. I am quite at a loss what to say more, there is nothing at all new or interesting in Williamsburg and I am so dull I never can produce any thing myself. I must therefore rely upon your goodnefs to excuse this dull and insipid letter, and with my most affectionate love to you and all who inquire after me.

I remain your ever affectionate, Martha

Ps Mr Cary told me last evening that he did not expect that you would be in Williamsburg for at least a fortnight. I hope, however that he will be mistaken.

Selfishness again you see!

This letter is written by Martha Blow Hines (1748-1815), daughter of Samuel and Martha Drew Blow, to her brother Richard Blow (1746-1833) in 1806 (Courtesy of the Swem Library, College of William and Mary)

Rochelle Prince House in the late 1800's (For more information on the Rochelle's contact Sloan Mason - Slomas7@comcast.net)

Scenes from the Tower Hill Plantation in Sussex/Southampton County Virginia. Tower Hill was the home of Martha Blow Hines who married William Hines of nearby Poplar Grove Plantation. (Courtesy of the Richard Blow/Blow Family Collections, Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia)